The Bond that Grows
by faithambr
Summary: Young Anna Havlick finds herself in an unsettling situation, done by her sister, by being forced to settle a debt. When Kristoff Bjorman bargains for her freedom, she knew that her dreams may come true. However, Kristoff had other plans in store for her.
1. Chapter 1

**The Bond that Grows**

 **Chapter 1**

Anna was quietly hiding her excitement, as she slowly slipped a blue crocheted scarf underneath her dark brown shawl. She then quickly put her hair into two strawberry-blonde plaits. She was used to being fully dressed before the daylight had reached the edge of the farm; however, she had woken up earlier for this special occasion. For today, a friend, a very special friend, was having a special day today.

As she was quietly placing her feet into her worn out boots, she could hear the gentle snores from the bed beside her. She knew that her youngest sister, Gerda, was sound asleep, but she continued on slipping out the door, quietly.

Anna slowly shut the door, hoping that it wouldn't creak throughout the house. With one swift motion of her long green skirts, Anna quickly tip-toed down the small hallway. Once she had approached the family dining room, she shriveled with fear, as she heard her other sister's loud snores coming from the room right next to it. She knew that her eldest sister, Elsa, was having some trouble sleeping since their parents' death a few years ago. She also knew that Elsa had become more distant and short-tempered towards her and Gerda. However, what Elsa didn't know wouldn't kill her, would it? Anna had thought about telling Elsa, but the icy glares and cold voice would be the response Anna would get. "She should take a liking towards Fredrick." she thought, as she glanced around the dining room for her small, light magenta, bonnet. The bonnet could be anywhere throughout the house, yet she was hoping that it was hanging up on the pegs right by the front door. Sure enough, she saw that the bonnet was gently placed right next to the family portrait, right on the mantle. She quickly ran up to the mantle and grabbed the bonnet. She cringed about what her father would think of her seeing Fredrick in a secluded area. She even thought that he would have been so angry with her to the point where he would whip the daylights out of her. "But he's not here," Anna had reminded herself, "They will never come back from the dead." She continued on getting herself situated, by placing the bonnet loosely over her two plaits.

She jumped for joy, once she had closed the front door to her home. She felt the fresh cold air flowing through her hair and into her dark shawl. She shivered, as she rushed down the steps of her front porch. She wanted to hurry along and find Fredrick before it's too late. After a good long and strenuous walk, she managed to get to the woodlot right across from the little creek bed. She figured that the little creek would be filled with some water, but that would only be used during both the spring and summer seasons; sadly, not for the upcoming winter season. She had hoped that Fredrick would be there fishing at the creek, as usual, but not for today.

"Now where could he be?" Anna had whispered, while she waited at the woodlot.

As Anna was patiently waiting for Fredrick to come, she prayed that no one else would come out and catch them together. Just then, she felt a pair of arms wrapping her body, from behind.

"Hello, Anna." someone had whispered in her ear, from behind.

"Fredrick!" Anna shrieked, turning around and had faced him, "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry." Fredrick had chuckled, as he stepped away from her. Anna couldn't help but gape at the sight of her dear friend. Today, he was wearing a simple, yet frayed, white button-up shirt, with a pair of faded pants.

"But you still scared me, Fred." Anna blushed slightly, looking down at the dirt floor.

"Just be glad that it was just Me." he sighed, while leaning up against the pile of cut firewood, "Not Kristoff, or Pa."

He was right about that. They both knew that meeting each other in secret, was very risky, yet they were in love with one another.

"Happy birthday, Fredrick." Anna whispered, as she took the blue scar from underneath her shawl.

"Thank you" Fredrick said, with his honey brown eyes sparkling at her, "You remembered."

"How could I not?" Anna stated, as-a-matter-of-factly placing the scarf into his hand, "Besides, your family should remember, right?"

Fredrick gave her a scowled look, "Pa wouldn't say a word about it, especially since it's today. Ma does remember, but she didn't even bother to say hi this morning. On the other hand, Kristoff came in last night and gave me a hunting cap."

"Oh." Anna whispered hoarsely, while clutching her shawl closely to her chest.

"I do have some news to tell you." Fredrick said, with very little pride in his voice.

"Oh."

"The President is calling out from more men." he spoke softly, with his head hung low.

She placed her small hand over her own beating heart. She didn't want him to go and fight in this war. She wanted to cry out and have him hold her closely to his heart.

"Why?" she whispered, with a lump in her throat, "Why do you have to go?"

"Because," Fred had whispered soothingly, "I want to be a part of the Union Army and help win this war!"

"But what about your parents?" Anna had asked, with stiffness in her voice, "Will they be okay with you being gone?"

"They won't even notice." Fredrick shrugged, like it didn't even matter to him, "Pa does want me to be here and to help out with the farm."

Just before Anna could give her response, the sound of a fallen and axe had echoed throughout the small woodlot.

"Fredrick!" said the roaring man, Cliff, which stood right in front of the two.

"Pa!" Fredrick had yelped in fear, his face purely white.

"What in the blazes are you doing here with the Havlick girl?" Cliff had gritted between his teeth, his face turning blood red.

"Nothing, sir…" Fredrick could only sputter out, "We're just friends, Pa."

"Lies!" Cliff had bellowed, while removing his belt from his middle, "Fredrick, you are a liar!"

Before Fredrick could move out of Anna's way, Cliff grabbed his son by the arm and had started to whip his back.

"Please stop!" Anna cried out, as she loosely grabbed Cliff by the arm, "You're hurting him!"

"Let go of me!" Cliff snapped, as he freed his arm away from her.

"She's just my friend Pa." Fredrick had yelped out in pain.

"Lies!" Cliff sneered, as Fredrick had stumbled onto the ground.

"He's telling the truth!" Anna had pleaded, before Cliff grabbed her by the forearm.

"Such lies!" Cliff's voice had boomed into her ears, followed by the crack of the belt on her side.

"Argh!" Anna groaned out in pain, while holding her side.

Just before Cliff was about to whip Anna again, a tall young man came up from behind him and grabbed the belt from his hand.

"Kristoff," Cliff had growled in frustration, "What in tarnation are you doing here?"

Kristoff just glared down at his father and the terrified Anna that stood right in front of him.

"You got no right to lay a hand on her, Pa!"

"I make it my business!" Cliff had snarled, his face still boiling red. Cliff then snatched the belt from Kristoff's hand and was about to take a strike at Anna. Kristoff quickly pulled Anna to his side, hoping that she wouldn't get whipped by his pa, again. He knew that Anna had already gone through so much within the past few years; she didn't need any more in her life.

"Kristoff!" his pa exclaimed, his voice echoing in Kristoff's ear, "What's the meaning of this?"

"She doesn't need to be whipped." Kristoff argued, holding her close to his side, "Her and Fredrick are just friends, nothing more."

Cliff's eyes had darted towards his son on the floor, then towards his other son holding Anna close to his chest. His tempered flared at the sight of those three right in front of him. He couldn't understand why Kristoff wanted to protect Anna from her punishment.

"You!" Cliff had grunted, while pointing at Fredrick, "Get to your chores!"

"Yes sir," Fredrick jumped up and rushed on out of the woodlot.

"And you," Cliff's eyes had pierced through Anna's own, "Get! I don't want you around that boy!"

"Yes sir!" was all Anna could say as she slipped away from Kristoff's hold. She was happy that Kristoff was able to protect her from Cliff's reckoning. She would have to thank him later.

"Kristoff, why are you still here?" Pa had bellowed out, as they both walked on out of the woodlot.

"I need the money, Pa." Kristoff had grunted, after he shut the door behind them.

"What money?" Pa had questioned him, while holding onto his suspenders.

"Grand Pabbie's inheritance!" Kristoff snapped, "He left it for me!"

"Why need that money?" Pa had questioned.

"I need that money for lumbering, Pa!" Kristoff had shouted, his stubbornness was showing.

"Son, get that lumbering business out of your mind." Pa had shaken his pointer finger directly at his son, "You need to get back into farmin'."

Kristoff's jaw had tightened, while looking at his pa. He couldn't even believe that his own pa wouldn't even give him any more information about both Grand Pabbie's will and inheritance. "I will lumber pines, Pa!" he finally stated, while folding his arms against his chest.

"Fine!" Pa scowled, looking at his son in pure disgust, "Have it your way!"

"Thanks…" Kristoff had spit out, as he continued down the through the golden hayfield. He couldn't even believe that he had the same exact conversation with his pa and still receive the same exact response. He hoped that pa would change at the idea of him being a lumberman, but he knew that his pa would be set in his own ways.

"Guess I'll have to make money another way." he thought, as he walked on back to the main house.

As Anna was running on up to the small laundry house, she was thinking about the way Kristoff had saved her from getting beat by Cliff. Shad had decided that she should be able to thank him after her chores were done. Usually her days would often consist of hard work and very little play. She knew that her chores were very important and that most of them would help out with the farm. One of the chores that she had to do was both the mending and hanging of the laundry. She knew that all of the laundry had already been washed by the house maid, Lillian. She just hoped that the laundry was well cleaned and taken care of. Once she was able to smell the refreshing scent coming from the laundry house, Anna knew that Lillian was about finished with the washing.

"Good morning, Anna." said Lillian, cheerfully, as she was placing the wash board into the laundry closet, "How's doing today?"

"Fine." Anna had stated, while rolling up her small cuffs to her elbows, "Do I need to iron any clothes today?"

"No ma'am." Lillian had nodded, before she left.

"Thank you!" Anna had whispered, as she began her chore.

She hoped that the pain would subside on her side, but the emotional pain would definitely take a while. "I hope that Elsa didn't hear about this." she thought, as she hung the sheets. She knew that if her sister had found out, she would most likely receive another strict and cold lecture. With the perspiration and hint of sweat on her face, Anna knew that it was time to head home and help her other sister, Gerda, around the house. After a few loads were hung up on the clothes line, Anna quickly made a bee-line toward her house. Anna could feel the slight cool breeze flowing through her long braids. She clutched her dark shawl to her chest, as she continued on running to the front porch steps.

"Please don't be home." Anna had whispered, as she made her way onto the front porch. Just before Anna could knock on the front door, a young brown-haired girl had swung open the door.

"Anna!" cried out the little girl, while she leaped into her sister's arms.

"Gerda." Anna smiled, trying to maks the pain scorching from her side.

"Are you okay?" Gerda murmured, her eyes piercing into Anna's heart.

Just before Anna could giver Gerda her answer, an angry voice had called out from the nearby bedroom, "Anna is that you?"

"Yes," she gulped.

"Gerda get to your chores!" shouted out the angry voice, again.

"Yes, Elsa" Gerda replied quickly, as she ran out the door, "See you later, Anna."

"See you soon." Anna stated, as she kissed her sister on the cheek.

"Anna, come here." the voice was sounding even more demanding.

"Yes, Elsa." Anna muttered, as she walked towards the next bedroom. She hoped that her sister didn't find out about her and Fredrick. Once she appeared into the bedroom, she noticed that Elsa was already dressed for the day. Today, Elsa was wearing a simple dark turquois dress, with her platinum blonde hair pulled into a tight bun.

"I heard that you were seeing one of the Bjorman boys." Elsa had stated, as she was adjusting her bun.

"Yes." Anna kept her eyes low to the floor.

"Are you two intimate?" Elsa said coldly, while adjusting her cuffs.

"No!" Anna had gasped, with surprise. She couldn't even believe that her own sister would think that way, "We're just friends."

"That's not what Cliff had told me." Elsa had snapped at her sister, "You liar!"

"I'm not lying! Believe me, please!" Anna cried out, but nothing could change Elsa's mind.

"Liar!" Elsa sneered, her face fuming, "Mama and Papa raised us to not be liars!"

"But I'm not lying!" Anna pleaded, feeling overpowered by her sister.

"Yes, you are!" Elsa had screamed out, as she shoved Anna hard against the wall, "Now go and help Gerda."

"Yes." Anna shrieked, her heart pounding against her small chest. She couldn't even believe that her own sister had shoved her against the wall.

Anna raced on out the door, hoping that her sister wouldn't follow her, with another outburst. She hated her sister, for what she had done to the family. She knew that the angry outbursts were being caused by the death of their parents. You see, their parents have died in a ferryboat accident, three years ago.

"Three years," Anna had whispered, "Three years, since you've been gone Mama and Papa." She continued on heading out to the barn, until Fredrick had appeared from the small chicken coup.

"Anna." Fredrick smiled, while holding the large pail of chicken feed.

"Oh Fredrick," Anna breathed, as she stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe that Fredrick, her love, was standing right in front of her.

"Yes." he had quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm so sorry." Anna quickly apologized, looking down at her shoes.

"For what?"

"That your birthday was ruined by your pa." Anna had choked, trying really hard not to cry.

"It's alright." his words were comforting to her.

"You better get back to the coop, before your pa sees us." Anna quickly stated, as she walked away from Fred.

"Will do," Fredrick waved, as they both went on their way.

Anna continued on her merry way towards the barn. The pain on her sided had soon subsided and that she would be able to now bend over.

"Gerda," Anna had called out, while knocking on the large barn door, "open the door, please."

With one small struggle, Gerda had managed to open the door for her sister.

"Anna." Gerda huffed, as Anna entered into the barn, "Are you okay?"

"No." Anna whimpered, holding the shawl close to her small chin.

"What's wrong?" Gerda's lip had quivered.

"Nothing." Anna lied, trying to comfort her sister.

"Did Elsa be mean to you, again?" Gerda said lowly, while looking into her sister's eyes for some reassurance.

"Yes." Anna had wiped her sister's tears away.

"Why does she have to be so mean?" Gerda whined, holding onto her sister.

"Not sure, sister." Anna had said calmly, while rubbing her sister's back soothingly, "Say let's get to milking, Gerda."

"Really?" Gerda's eyes danced, "You're gonna me with the milking?"

"Yep." Anna smiled, as Gerda ran on over to the cows.

Throughout the rest of the morning, both Anna and Gerda were busy milking the cows. Once the milking of the cows was done, they trailed on up to the main house.

"Maybe Kristoff's here." Anna had thought, as trudged on up to the kitchen door. She still wanted to thank him for saving her. Sadly, Kristoff wasn't there when she came in.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bond that Grows Chapter 2**

 **Author's note: This chapter was hard to write, since Hans is making an appearance with Kristoff. Apologies for the late post.**

With the flick of his reins, Kristoff was able to pull his horse to a halt. He quickly then guided his horse to a nearby trough. After his horse took a few seconds to drink, Kristoff then loosely tied up his horse onto the post. "Be a good boy." he whispered, as he grabbed his sack from the saddle. He then walked on over to the dining hall across the street. While he was walking to the dining hall, he was glancing around the town. He couldn't help but survey over the stumps that were once from the majestic trees beforehand. The pine trees looked so beautiful with their thick luscious evergreen pine needles. From the thickness of the pines to the smell of the needles, Kristoff knew the price that he is willing to pay for these kinds of pines. He knew that it would take guts to become a lumberman, but he was willing to do anything to get there. So far from what he had heard was that Dale Edwards had a made a small fortune from the pines nearby the town.

Growing up, Kristoff knew that Grand Pabbie would like for him to invest into lumbering. Both he and his grandfather were very similar in their personalities. They both had the same physique and hair color. However Grand Pabbie's body had worn down with age. Grand Pabbie was always very thoughtful and kind to his favorite grandson. He even gave his grandson a small hunting knife, as a gift. He knew that the hunting knife wouldn't be used for lumbering, but it would only be used as a weapon of self-defense. As he walked around the dusty old town, he took out his knife and red sash. He knew that the knife was an amazing gift that his grandfather gave him. He also knew that the red sash would hold memories of him being a shanty boy at a lumber camp, when he was younger. As a shanty boy, he was always the laughing stock of the group. He was laughed at, picked on, and been roughed up a bit by the other men. Heck, he would get a hard punch in the gut, if he didn't song for the other men to entertain. Now if someone were to ask Kristoff to sing, he would look at them and casually croak out a tune.

Overtime, he knew that being a shanty boy was something that had definitely became a part of his life, but so has the information about his grandfather's inheritance. He didn't actually know what the inheritance contained, but as far as he knew was that he could be rich from it. "You need to get the lumberin' business out of your head." his father's thoughts had interrupted his own, as he walked on past the river and into the dining hall.

"I'll make it my business." he scowled, as he surveyed the dining hall for a seat. The dining hall had a rustic feel to it. From the leather stools set up at the bar, to the round thick wooden tables spread throughout the room. The smell of sweat, musk, and pine was far different from than the smells Kristoff was used to back home. Kristoff knew that he had a place back with his parents and brother, but he knew that his home would be in the lumber camps throughout the state of Michigan. He smiled at the thought of him being a lumberman and making his name well-known to others. However, his father's words had appeared, yet again, in his mind, "Son, you need to get this lumberin' business out of your head."

He again scowled at those words; he couldn't understand why his own pa doesn't want him to be in the lumbering business. His pa told him that he was crazy, but Kristoff didn't care. All he cared about was to prove to his pa and everyone else that he can be a lumberman. Maybe becoming a lumberman would help his pa realize that someone that is worthy in his eyes. He grunted at the thought of his brother and his friend, Anna. He didn't like the idea of his pa whipping his brother and her. To make that situation even worse, he had to step in and save Anna from his pa's lashings. "Why couldn't Fredrick come out and protect her." he thought as he sat down at one of the round tables.

"Need something?" a young brunette barmaid had asked, while making her rounds.

"No thanks." he replied, leaning back in his chair, "I'm waiting for someone."

"hmm… a lady friend, I presume?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

"No ma'am." he simply replied, "I'm looking for Hans Westerguard."

"Ah I see." she rolled her eyes, "He'll be here shortly."

"Thanks."

The young barmaid continued on her way through the rowdy crowd. The young barmaid had reminded Kristoff of Anna. The bright spunkiness in her eyes was nothing compared to Anna's misty blue eyes. "Stop thinking about her, Kristoff." he whispered, hoarsely.

"Stop thinking about who?" an eager voice had appeared.

Kristoff then turned around and faced the voice right in front of him. A young clean shaven man had appeared right before him. The man seemed a bit out of place right in the dining hall; from the white suit and red tie, to the red hair and sideburns on his face.

"The name's Hans Westerguard." Hans stood in front of Kristoff with his hand out.

"Kristoff." Kristoff had stated, while shaking his hand, "Kristoff Bjorman."

"Ah," Hans licked his teeth, "any relation to Pabbie Bjorman?"

"Grandson." Kristoff had cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I see." Hans chuckled, as he took a seat across from Kristoff, "He was such a good man."

"Indeed." Kristoff still kept an eye on Hans.

There was something different about Hans' appearance once Kristoff had mentioned that he was Grand Pabbie's grandson. Whether it would have to do with the lumbering business or not, Kristoff would soon have to find out.

"Now, are you hungry?" Hans' eager voice had interrupted his thoughts, "'Cause I am."

Kristoff just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Maid!" Hans snapped his fingers, demanding for a barmaid to come over, "Need some food here."

"Comin' right up, sir." a young frisky blonde had responded.

A few minutes later, their food had arrived at their table. Hans ordered a simple dish of catfish and vegetables, while Kristoff had ordered a simple stew. "I've had better meals than this." Hans scoffed, after he was finished with the catfish.

Kristoff continued on eating away at his meal. He was already starting to get annoyed with the man in front of him. He couldn't even believe that the man sitting in front of him knew all about the lumbering business. He seemed to be a bit out of place, especially in a dusty, yet growing, little town called Arendelle. Arendelle is a very small, yet prosperous town for everyone that would want to stay there. Kristoff didn't mind growing up in Arendelle, but that doesn't mean that he actually plans on staying there.

After both Hans and Kristoff were finished with their meals, they made their way out of the dining hall. Kristoff felt the soft fresh breeze flowing through the hard stubble forming on his face. Hans gave a serious look as he cupped his own cheek and puffed out a smoke. "I heard that Willie Weston is trying to take over some of the property that Dale Edwards wants." Hans whispered low enough for only Kristoff to hear, "They may take it to court."

They continued on walking down the dusty street.

"A while back, Edwards told me to be on alert and to at least try to put a stop to it." Hans continued, as he looked on past the town.

Kristoff remained calm, while feeling both the anxiety and excitement growing inside him. He knew that these types of fights could get dirty. He figured that these types of fights are part of being a lumberman. He even thought that these fights may help him release some of the anger that he had towards his pa.

"Well, what do we do now?" Kristoff had questioned Hans, yet trying to contain his emotions.

Hans stopped in his tracks. "Before I even met you, I went into the clerk's office and filed. Weston had told me that his timber cruiser had already filed before me and the clerk was barely paying attention to him."

"Then its your word against his." Kristoff said, while watching the young children run off into the distance.

"Kristoff," Hans kept his voice stern and fair, "you see, what he doesn't know is that I keep two records for safekeeping. One is always filed at the clerk's office, while the other is filed with Edward's lawyer, Justin Westerguard. If Weston bought him, I'll know about it. And if it's not him, then it would have to be the clerk getting paid off by Weston."

Hans then puffed out his last smoke and dumped the leftover contents onto the ground.

"So this Justin Westerguard," Kristoff felt a bit uneasy, "he's your…"

"Oh my apologies," Hans had let out a smile, " Justin Westerguard is my brother. A bit older than me, but yes he is my brother."

"Oh." was all that Kristoff could muster out of his mouth. He couldn't even believe that Hans had an older brother, as a lawyer.

"My brother should be in his office, right now." Hans clearly stated, as he turned around and walked the other way, "Care to join me, Mr. Bjorman?"

The courthouse looked like it was freshly repainted. The building stood tall and firm with the fresh hint of pale dull colors painted on the rooftops and walls. The signs were painted with both black and gold lettering, saying "Arendelle County Courthouse." A young couple had made their way out of the courthouse, passed Hans and Kristoff. Kristoff made a polite greeting to the young couple, while Hans had continued his way into the courthouse. Kristoff glared down at Hans; he couldn't believe that Hans was being disrespectful towards the young couple that came before them. Once they came inside, Kristoff could see the magnificence of the building. He noticed how clean and well-furnished the building was right in front of his eyes. From the sign that boldly states "No Hobnails Allowed" to the new wooden floorboards on the ground. They continued on walking down the hallway and to the left of the building Hans' brother's name was proudly etched out on the door. Hans simply opened the door, without any hesitation, and Kristoff had followed him in.

Justin Westerguard looked up, with a frustration in his face. He had a simple red mustache and beard, with a couple of grey streaks in them. He wore a simple dark green suit with a gold wedding band on his ring finger. The room was filled with smoke and ash all coming from the pipe that was being smoked, "Whatcha ya business here brother?"

"Edward's timber walker filed at the clerk's office," Hans gave his brother a serious grin, "You know, for the section that Weston wanted."

"Well then," Justin stated, "When was it filed?"

"This morning, my brother."

"Then you have already filed last night, correct?"

Hans let out a cold laugh, "Of course, how could I forget."

Kristoff's face went white. He felt that something wasn't right between those two.

Justin glanced over his brother's should and then back at Hans, "Now, who is he?"

"Kristoff Bjorman. He's going to be my timber walker."

Kristoff moves his arms from his front to behind his back. Justin stared down at Kristoff, "You know how to keep your mouth shut?"

Kristoff felt his heart racing. He didn't know what to say as a response. He simply nodded his head.

"Well then," Justin got up from his seat and casually strolled on over to the small fireplace adjacent from his desk, "You should be a smart man. Remember, this is a dangerous business." Justin's eyebrow had risen, as he placed a piece of wood into the fire, "Bjorman, that name seems familiar. Any relation to Pabbie Bjorman?"

"My grandpa."

"Well, well."

Kristoff nodded in response.

"You in charge of his timber tracts?"

Kristoff froze for a moment right there. He didn't know about the tracts, but he also didn't want Justin and Hans to think that he didn't know about the business matters.

"Well?" Hans had implied, impatiently.

"My pa is," Kristoff had managed to clear his throat.

"Well, that's too bad," Justin continued, "We could have worked out something with Edwards. He's buying land faster than my own brother would find and claim it. But maybe your pa would be interested in selling it?"

Kristoff had cleared his throat again, "Doubt it. He keeps everything from everyone."

Hans smiled and placed his hand on Kristoff's shoulder, "Kristoff wants to be a lumberman. That's why he's coming to work for me."

Justin took out his brass pocket watch and flipped it open, "I'd like to get my hands on Pabbie's lumber."

Kristoff didn't want his pa o be involved with the lumbering business. Hans coughed and looked over at his brother. "Let's get going, time is of the essence, my dear friends."

Justin went and sat back down at his desk. There he wrote in a ledger. He soon blew on the ink, blotted the paper, closed the ledger, and carried it securely in his arms, "Ready?"

The clerk's office was about three doors down and to the right. Five men were already waiting at the clerk's window, but Justin had opened the gate and walked around to where the clerk was finishing up his paperwork.

Kristoff had kept an eye on both Justin and the clerk as they were talking quietly. Justin opened the ledger and handed it over to the clerk. The clerk then nodded and wrote out a piece of paper for Justin.

"I'll tell one of Weston's men that I've made an error." Kristoff heard the clerk whisper after he handed the paper to Justin.

"Alright then," Justin gave the clerk a firm handshake, "it was pleasure doing business with you, my dear good man."

Kristoff slightly panicked, "Did that just happen?"

Hans glared at Kristoff, "Keep this between you and me, got it?"

"But the clerk cheated!"

"This is how the lumbering business works nowadays. So keep your trap shut. Got it?"

Kristoff furrowed his brow deep into his thoughts. He couldn't even believe that they were cheating out Weston! His own heart was telling him to leave and forget about doing business with Hans Westerguard.

"Kristoff, don't let my brother know about your insecurities when it comes down to cheating." Hans whispered angrily.

Justin walked to his brother and shoved the paper into his hand, "Here, your claim deed."

His heart was pounding in his chest. His grandpa had taught him to always be an honest man. However, being honest may not help him get the cash that he so desperately needs. At that moment, the only two people that did something wrong were both the clerk and Hans' brother. He continued on keeping his mouth shut and followed Hans out of the courthouse.

"So ready to learn about bein' a cruiser?" Hans casually mentioned, once they had gotten out of the courthouse.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Kristoff had grunted in reply.

"Well then," Hans gave out a devilish grin, "the pay is good, if you plan on staying alive."

Kristoff nodded as they continued down the road. Kristoff knew that he was desperate for money and right now, he'll do whatever he can to earn it.


End file.
